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Charles Dickens/Transcript
Transcript A boy, Tim, is reading a newspaper. A robot, Moby, excitedly shows his novel to Tim. MOBY: Beep. TIM: You wrote a novel, huh? Can I read it? The pages are full of ones and zeros. TIM: Well, at least this is better than your poetry. Moby is onstage wearing a beret, and makes modem sounds while reading from a book of his poetry. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, We have to read Great Expectations in class. It's really long. Can you help me? From, Marty. TIM: Well, we can't read the book for you. An image shows Charles Dickens. TIM: But we can tell you a little bit about the author of Great Expectations, Charles Dickens. He's widely considered one of the greatest novelists of all time. MOBY: Beep? An image shows a thick novel. TIM: Oh, a novel is a fiction book, a story with a made-up plot and characters who aren't real. Between 1836 and 1870, Dickens wrote fifteen major novels. An image shows a stack of Dickens’ novels. ''Great Expectations is at the top.'' TIM: He was incredibly popular during his lifetime, and most of his books are still read today. Side by side images show a boy from Dickens' era reading ''Great Expectations and a girl reading it in modern times.'' TIM: As a matter of fact, you're probably already familiar with him. He wrote A Christmas Carol, one of the most famous holiday stories ever. An image shows the novel A Christmas Carol. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Aw, come on, you know it. We watched it together last Christmas. It's the story where nasty old Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. An image shows a ghost visiting Scrooge. Moby laughs. MOBY: Beep. Beep. TIM: Yeah, so maybe I cried a little bit at the end. The bit about Tiny Tim always gets to me, okay? An image shows a smiling Tiny Tim sitting on Scrooge's shoulder. TIM: Anyway, Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, England in 1812. An image shows Charles Dickens next to a map showing Portsmouth, England. TIM: His childhood was pretty good, or at least it was until his father was imprisoned for debt. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Yeah, things were different back then. If you owed a lot of money, you got thrown into prison until you could pay it off. Most of Dickens' family was forced to live with his dad in prison. An image shows Dickens' family living in prison. The father is sitting with his face hidden in his hands. TIM: Charles was pulled out of school and sent to work in a boot polish factory. At the age of twelve, he was working ten-hour days to support his family. An image shows Dickens working in the factory. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, yeah, I know that robots work ten-hour days all the time. But trust me, it's a lot harder for humans, especially kids. His father eventually cleared up the debt, and Charles returned to school, but that experience would influence his writing for years to come. As a young adult, Dickens became a journalist. An image shows a young Dickens holding a quill pen and paper. TIM: And in 1836, he compiled a bunch of short, humorous articles into a book. It was called Sketches by Boz. An image shows the book. TIM: Boz was his pen name, a fake name that writers sometimes use. The book was a success, and soon, Dickens was working on his first novel, The Pickwick Papers. An image shows the book with Dickens’ name as the author. TIM: It detailed a series of silly adventures through England. People loved his ridiculous characters and the book became very popular. Dickens' growing legion of fans would eagerly wait for each new chapter. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, like a lot of authors back then, Dickens published his novels in monthly installments, kind of like a magazine or a comic book. It was called serial publication. Anyway, The Pickwick Papers made Dickens into a literary celebrity. An image shows people reading the latest installment of ''The Pickwick Papers. '''TIM:' And the novels he wrote over the next few decades only added to his reputation. An image shows Dickens. TIM: Many told the story of an orphan or poor boy who goes through a series of misfortunes and adventures before finally finding happiness. In Oliver Twist, an orphan falls in with a gang of child pickpockets run by a greedy criminal named Fagin. An image shows the characters from the book. Oliver frowns as the other characters smile. TIM: David Copperfield drew on Dickens' own childhood, and contains scenes set in debtors' prison and at a boot polish factory. Images show characters from this book, the prison, and the factory. TIM: And Great Expectations tells the story of an orphan named Pip who suddenly receives wealth and is thrust into upper class society. An image shows an unhappy, well-dressed Pip in a room with an older woman dressed in a yellowed bridal gown and veil. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, they're memorable for a lot of reasons. Dickens uses words to paint a vivid, highly detailed portrait of English life. His London is inhabited by a slew of eccentric characters, rich and poor, old and young, kind and cruel. Images show the unusual characters from Dickens' novels as Tim mentions them. TIM: And most of them have crazy names, like Seth Pecksniff, Wilkins Micawber, and Wackford Squeers. Images shows the three characters. Moby laughs. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, that is a pretty funny name. But in spite of Dickens' humor, his writing addressed serious social issues, like child labor, urban poverty, and the British legal system. An image shows Dickens’ tombstone. It reads "Charles Dickens, Born 7th February 1812, Died 9th June 1870." TIM: He died back in 1870, but Dickens' combination of humor with social critique has kept his work alive. Dozens of movies have been adapted from his books, and, of course, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge is everywhere during Christmas time. An image shows a terrified Scrooge being visited by a ghost. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Whatever you say, Wackford. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts